Rooftop alum Steve James (At The Death House Door, Hoop Dreams) has undertaken an ambitious new project: a documentary feature based on the memoir of legendary film critic Roger Ebert. With the support of Chaz Ebert and executive producer Martin Scorsese, James set out to do justice to the life of a man who championed so many others through his writing. The film recounts Ebert’s life from his early days at the University of Illinois, his television career, his battle with cancer and determined efforts to continue his work despite his illness.

Now that shooting is complete, the filmmaker has started an Indiegogo campaign to raise post-production funds. In the spirit of Ebert’s prolific work and commitment to cinephilia, the campaign seeks to unite film lovers around the project – with the goal to reach 7,202 backers, the number of reviews the critic wrote during his career at the Chicago Sun-Times. As part of a thank you for supporting the project, each backer of the campaign will be matched with and sent a copy one of those thousands of reviews, a symbolic gesture of the community formed around Ebert’s life’s work.

As a supporter of the project, you will also be offered exclusive access to the film once it’s complete. All backers above the $25 level will receive exclusive access to a live stream of the film prior to release. Higher level backers will have the opportunity to attend special preview screenings in Chicago, Los Angeles, Champaign-Urbana, or New York (presented by Rooftop Films).

Whatever level of support you are able to offer, the rewards will come back to you! Donate, tell your friends, and help build a community of 7,202 Ebert fans!

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Rooftop Films is a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists.